The single biggest improvement for Ryan Hilinski this offseason

When Mike Bobo arrived in Columbia in December as South Carolina's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he met with returning starting quarterback Ryan Hilinski and offered a blunt assessment.

"That was the first conversation I had with him. I said, 'Your footwork is terrible,'" Bobo said, meeting with the media this past week.

Bobo followed the candid evaluation with some perspective.

"And I said, 'A lot of that has to do (with) we don't know what's happening up front,'" Bobo said. "We don't understand the protection, so our feet are in a bad place. Somebody is coming free on us. We don't understand that they're coming free. So we're taking some shots we probably shouldn't have. And he was a freshman last year. He threw it (406) times last year and he got hit a lot and that wears on a young guy. ... And we've got to do things to help him."

Bobo's job starts with helping his young quarterback and putting him in a position to succeed. That means, he says, doing a better job with protection, with the running game, with the game plan, and with stretching the field more.

Hilinski's job has been to develop a better understanding of the protections up front and to improve his footwork as he learns Bobo's new scheme.

Through five practices, Bobo says he's been pleased with the play of his sophomore quarterback and the way he's studied and prepared each day. And that "terrible" footwork Bobo noticed in his first film review is now one of Hilinski's most improved skills.

"He's done a really nice job of being on balance in the pocket, trusting his protection, and I think that comes with understanding his protection, understanding where his issues are, and being able to set in the pocket and be calm," Bobo said. "He's been very, very accurate up until this point today. I don't know the numbers for today, but we had several drops and we had a few guys out today with some nagging things. But I would say his footwork, his accuracy, and I've been real impressed with him in the meeting room, how sharp he is, how smart he is, how he comes in prepared before the meetings, before we even go in the install, he's taken the time and looked at it."

Thrust into the starting spot as a true freshman last season, Hilinski started the final 11 games of the season for South Carolina after Jake Bentley was lost for the year in the season opener.

Hilinski completed 236-of-406 passes (58.1 pct.) for 2,357 yards and 11 touchdowns with just five interceptions. Hilinski tied the school’s freshman quarterback records for starts and set records for pass completions and attempts, but as the year progressed, and injuries mounted around him, the Gamecocks' offense sputtered and the team went 4-7 in the games he started.

"I've got to play better. Absolutely, I have to play better," Hilinski said this past week. "I had a couple of moments that I thought were good and a couple of opportunities that I said, hey I'll go out there and throw some touchdowns, but otherwise than that, I've got to play better. And that comes down to me and I put that on myself."

While the footwork Bobo talks about has been a big focus for Hilinski this offseason, his offseason training has gone beyond that. Not known as a particular fast quarterback, the former four-star from California has not only worked on his footwork in the pocket but on getting faster out of it.

"Mobility is a big thing that I've worked on," Hilinski said. "I know there were a lot of concerns throughout the community and through the coaches in talking to Bobo. It's just one of those things. I've been working in the training room non-stop just getting my legs strong. I know that I can run faster now. I feel faster in practice. I might not be as fast when I look at the film, but I feel super fast when I'm on the field. I'm moving around a little bit, I'm feeling good, I'm feeling confident in my movement in the pocket, escapability, stuff like that."

That work has paid off so far. Head coach Will Muschamp noted at the beginning of the spring that Hilinski looks to have reshaped his body.

And while Hilinski will never be confused for a dual-threat quarterback, Bobo says that he's plenty athletic enough to move around in the pocket and make some plays, a requirement for the modern-day quarterback.

"I think that's today's game," Bobo said. "It's hard to play with a statue back there unless you're just on top of things and you know the offense like the back of your hand and able to execute at a high, high level. Being able to move helps avoid bad plays and negative plays and sometimes it makes you a better coach when that guy can move around back there a little bit."

With five practices down and 10 more workouts to go, Hilinski says his focus is on becoming a more consistent performer in practice and continuing to work on his footwork will no doubt be a part of that.

"Your feet tell you when to cut the ball loose, when to go to the next progression, they tell you when it's time to tuck the ball and run or tuck the ball and get out of the pocket or throw the ball away," Bobo said. "Your feet are a big indicator of timing. When your feet aren't right, it usually leads to an inaccurate passer. Now, you can overcome it at times. There are times, we're not always going to be on balance, because of a rush, we've got to move, but when we're on balance and we're throwing things on time, our percentage of completing that ball goes up drastically."